Three Forks season comes to an end at 5B District Tournament

The Three Forks High School Girls’ Basketball season came to an end last week at the 5B District Tournament in Churchill.

After losing a 53-51 heartbreaker to fourth-seeded Townsend in the opening round on February 15, the fifth-seed Wolves (8-12) were eliminated from the tournament with a 57-44 loss on February 17 to Ennis.

Trailing 19-12 to Ennis at the end of the first quarter, Three Forks would fall behind 12 points early in the second quarter before a furious rally, cutting the lead to 26-23 after a three-pointer from freshman AdaRae Thomas. Ennis would answer back and take a 32-25 lead into halftime.

The Fillies would build on the lead in the third and led 47-31 going into the final quarter.

Following the game, Head Coach Lacy Noble said the team played hard, but easy buckets were not falling.

“We needed to run the floor more. We didn’t look to run as much as we should have,” Noble said.

Freshman Maya Noble led the Wolves in scoring with 10, and Thomas added nine. Maddie Tesoro and Tanaya Hauser finished with seven, Kylee Reichman had five, Bella Jones had three, Devynn Judd had two, and Tycie Davis finished with one.

Noble said losing Tesoro to injury in the second quarter was hard for the team.

“She’s a leader in so many aspects on the floor,” Noble said.

Looking towards the offseason, Noble said there is much they can do with the numerous players returning next season.

“We need to build some confidence in the offseason for the young girls. They need to realize they can play with some of the more experienced players, and their talent is every bit as good,” she said.

TOWNSEND

Trailing 50-49 late in the fourth quarter to Townsend, Tesoro hit a layup with 19 seconds left to put the Wolves up 51-50. The Bulldogs would answer with a three-point play after an offensive rebound with 5.7 left in regulation to go up by two. Three Forks turned the ball over the next possession, sealing the victory for Townsend.

After the game, Noble said the team’s intensity was much better than it had been lately, but playing at districts was a huge learning curve for the younger girls on the team.

“Close games are fun. They are intense. There is a lot of excitement. The girls just have to learn to keep their composure and take care of the ball a little better and not rush,” Noble said.

It was a phenomenal first quarter on both ends of the court for Three Forks. The Wolves locked in on defense, were hot from the outside, and took a 16-6 late in the quarter after a Hauser three-pointer.

The Wolves would stay hot to open the second, scoring the first four points to push the lead to 20-6.

The Bulldogs would respond with a run to cut the lead to 22-15 before Three Forks closed strong to take a 28-19 lead into halftime.

It was quite the half for Hauser, who would hit four three-pointers in the first two quarters.

Noble said after being off the last few games, she was really happy Hauser shot the ball like that.

Townsend would come storming back in the third and take a one-point lead with under a minute left before Tesoro scored the last three points of the quarter at the free throw line, giving Three Forks a 39-37 lead going into the fourth.

Tesoro led the team in scoring with 16, and Hauser and Judd each finished with 12.

Noble lauded the play of Judd in the paint for the Wolves.

“She was really smart for us tonight,” Noble said.

Jones added four points, and Thomas added three. Noble and Reichman finished with two.